Farmers and Merchants Bank in downtown Tomah is putting the finishing touches on a remodeling project. The bank has invested over $1 million dollars in the project that Bank President Tom Wierschem said has made a lot of big changes.

“We tried to do it right. We didn’t want to do it half way,” Wierschem said. “For those who know what it looked like before, it is a big change.”

Farmers and Merchants Bank will hold an open house on Thursday and Friday to show the public the finished product with changes that include new access, more offices, new lobby areas that include televisions, a new teller line, and more. The bank was able to remain open during the remodeling process. Bank Senior Vice President Charles Schaeve said that the entire bank, with the exception of the vault and restrooms, was gutted and redone. New walls and ceiling were put in, and a common wall between two buildings was removed.

“This building is actually three buildings pieced together over the years,” Schaeve said. “It gave us more flexibility and allowed us more floor space, and we added five offices.”

The bank was last remodeled in 1992. Wierschem said that along with the remodeling project, some new technology, including a cash recycler, was also added to keep up with the changing world of banking.